Though we all work the same steps, each of us experiences the spiritual awakening resulting from them in our own way. The shape that spiritual awakening takes in our lives will vary, depending on who we are.

For some of us, the spiritual awakening promised in the Twelfth Step will result in a renewed interest in religion or mysticism. Others will awaken to an understanding of the lives of those around them, experiencing empathy perhaps for the first time. Still others will realize that the steps have awakened them to their own moral or ethical principles. Most of us experience our spiritual awakening as a combination of these things, each combination as unique as the individual who's been awakened.

If there are so many different varieties of spiritual awakenings, how do we know if we've truly had one? The Twelfth Step provides us with two signs: We've found principles capable of guiding us well, the kind of principles we want to practice in all our affairs. And we've begun to care enough about other addicts to freely share with them the experience we've had. No matter what the details of our awakenings are like, we all are given the guidance and the love we need to live fulfilling, spiritually oriented lives.

Before we got to NA, we were all about "the getting and using and finding ways and means to get more." On the rare occasion when a feeling surfaced, we'd snuff it out with more drugs. This habit of reaching outside ourselves to fix what's inside follows us into recovery. Our inventories reveal how fear-based defects come into play as we've tried to protect ourselves or avoid discomfort. Instead of trying to wrestle happiness from life, we learn to be patient and strong, to give time some time, and even to live with uncertainty. Although we're sometimes tempted to control and manipulate or to tune out with any number of distractions, service provides a healthier alternative.

Service allows us to get out of our heads and into action. Whether it's setting up chairs or speaking with a newcomer, being of service puts us in the moment. "It's such a relief to be right here, right now," as one member put it. Even when we're going through our own storms, serving others keeps us in today.

Service can bring out the best in us. It helps us figure out who we are or who we want to be. We show up for each other and our commitments regardless of what's going on in our lives. We notice that we've become reliable and trustworthy. We practice compassion and become more compassionate. We listen without judgment and become less judgmental.

One member recalled, "I took this newcomer under my wing, hell-bent on saving her life. My own life blossomed as the best version of myself came out while I was being there for her."

It happens all the time around here. We set aside our worries to serve others and we're reminded of our strengths. Asking, "How can I help?" plops us into a petri dish for growing good character. We find confidence, fulfillment, and the best aspects of our identity as we serve.